Team Jones Elite Camp at Yale: Day 2 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yale University's Head basketball coach James Jones and his staff, held Day 2 of his elite camp at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium in New Haven, Connecticut. Over 150 players from all around the country showed up to compete in drills, participate in friendly 1 v 1 and 3 v 3 competitions, and play multiple full game scrimmages to not only improve their craft, but show their talents to college coaches in attendance. Today, I will highlight the Day 2 standouts from New England as the players who caught my eye! Let's get rolling!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2452949' first='David' last='Melson'] (Cushing, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Melson contributed in so many ways to help impact his team. Tasked as the main offensive creator, he displayed a tight handle and outstanding passing chops both in the half-court and on the break. He was a determined driver too, taking big contact at the rim and finishing well. Off the ball, he shot well from downtown and cut to the basket for easy points. Additionally, he held his own defensively highlighted by a block from the weak side. Melson was by far the best player I saw from a production and tools standpoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2546919' first='Asher' last='Abeles-Tierney'] (St. Luke's, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abeles-Tierney showed off his offensive skills at the lead guard spot. He constantly drove to the basket and finished his shots through anyone who tried to stop him. His size or lack thereof, didn't seem to matter as he was also quick enough to get by bigger defenders. He made some great passes too, especially on the fast break finding teammates for shoe-in layups. He also shot well from three with a good-looking jump shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2633492' first='Langston' last='Woods'] (Frederick Gunn, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woods impressed me with his traditional big-man skills, which were crucial for his team to perform well. The rebounding effort was phenomenal and he grabbed tons of missed shots on both ends of the floor, which led to either fast breaks the other way or another possession for the offense. He was a strong screener too, making holes for the guards to get into the paint. With the ball, he finished well at the cup with pace and even took a spot up three which looked solid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2553730' first='Connor' last='Nairus'] (St. Mark's, 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nairus stood out with his work in the paint. When given the ball down low, he created his own shots by driving and getting to the basket for buckets. It felt like every time he got underneath the hoop it was an automatic point, as his touch and timing were very evident. On the perimeter, he knew how to cut without the basketball and would get opportunities to score more on those pre-meditated decisions. Defensively, he made a great steal in the passing lanes displaying good instincts as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2546839' first='Kamryn' last='Salters'] (Notre Dame-Fairfield, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Salters' rim-finishing ability is quite a sight to behold. While handling the basketball, he would put pressure on the basket repeatedly and was adept at finishing in every situation given to him. From standard layups to spin moves buckets in both directions to even through contact, his balance at all times was masterful and highly efficient no matter how difficult an attempt was.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2542820' first='Krish' last='Dodani'] (Greens Farms, 2028)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dodani has the makings of a potentially great combo guard. He looked at home when handling the ball and made good passing decisions as well, which led to great results. Off the ball, he made solid cuts for easy buckets and looked smooth shooting off the catch from downtown with a confident and pretty stroke.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2633497' first='Jaxyn' last='Beaudet'] (New London, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beaudet's role-player-like contributions absolutely helped his team in impactful ways. Though undersized for a big man, he was able to finish effectively down low and on drives. He hustled throughout and was a devil on the offensive glass. Defensively, he was defending the perimeter with passion and made some great deflections on bad passes which resulted in turnovers. He even knocked down a pull-up middy and a spot up three from beyond the arch to cap off an outstanding all-around showing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->